Cyber crime: know the risks and build your defence

Cyber crime is common and increasingly adaptable, and it’s important you cover as many areas as you can to make sure that your IT systems and the information they hold are safe and secure.

Phishing attacks
Emails can all too easily carry viruses and malware into the heart of your companies IT system via attachments or links. This cyber crime trick is known as “phishing”.

The purpose of these attacks is to either gain information, such as customer data, corporate information or passwords, or disrupt your organisations IT operations, by interfering with your website, for example.

Check the source, the way you’re greeted, and the content of the email. If the email is coming from a bank you don’t deal with, addresses you generically, or the email address doesn’t look to match the organisation, then there’s reason to be suspicious.

These emails are becoming ever more difficult to identify, and by creating a dedicated cyber attack policy for your employees, they’ll be more confident of what to look out for in the future. It’s also important that you acknowledge the increasingly sophisticated tactics used by cyber criminals, so an employee can feel comfortable raising the alert if they do open an email, rather than blaming themselves.

Protect your systems inside and out
Anti-virus and anti-malware software can work well with a firewall to offer a first defence against cyber attacks, but there are other measures you can take enhance this protection from within:

Data encryption – There are standard encryption tools that can help you keep vulnerable data and information secure and it’s useful to familiarise yourself with these. Bitlocker is Window’s version and Macs have FileVault.

Wifi networks – An unsecured wifi network offers another avenue for malware which can disrupt your business. Ensuring your company wifi is not visible and changing your password frequently can make it a challenging route for would-be hackers.

Your physical premises – Sometimes cyber attacks are more blatant with the theft of computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones. Keep this equipment secure by ensuring your building security is sufficient, and don’t leave portable equipment accessible to thieves when working away from the office. A smart phone left on a table in public is all too easy a target.

Increase the number of servers – Any setbacks you face as a business are going to be all the greater if you rely on just one server for all your core activity and data. By dividing your processes and information across two or even several alternative servers, you can make data copies on a frequent basis and have a backup system in case one fails.

Manage the risks through C&M
A risk management solution can help you identify any gaps in your cyber strategy, and potentially lower your premium. At C&M we have access to insurers who offer specialist risk management solutions, so you can foresee any problems in security before they arise.